


Thirteen

by tapie



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: M/M, Soulmate AU, trans keith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-29
Updated: 2018-04-11
Packaged: 2019-01-26 04:18:07
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 4,193
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12548668
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tapie/pseuds/tapie





	1. I

**age 12**

"Do you know what that tomorrow is?" Lance asked his four best friends, Hunk, Shiro, Kathleen, and Pidge, as he approached them outside at recess.

"Uhhh, your birthday?" Shiro said, wondering why Lance was asking them this because he had been talking about it for months, so surely he knew they were informed about it.

"Yes, but not just any birthday. No. It's my thirteenth birthday. And you may be asking why I'm so excited for my thirteenth birthday-"

"No." Kathleen spoke over Lance.

"Because when a man turns thirteen, it is the day he finally gets his soulmate tattoo." Lance smiled with his hands placed over his heart.

"It's not just men." Pidge pointed out.

"Good point, thank you, Pidge. When a growing adolescent turns thirteen years of age, they will receive their soulmate tattoo." He spoke, pretending to be sophisticated.

"You're so extra." Kathleen lightheartedly laughed at him.

"He's just having fun, leave him to it." Hunk nudged Kathleen.

"You know, I bet she will have some super hot name, like Vanessa, or Maia, or Brooke." Lance stared off into space, most likely fantasizing about the holder of the name that would appear on his body tomorrow.

"What if she turns out to be a failure in life and you have to financially support her?" Kathleen laughed at the scenario. "Or better yet, what if she's like a crackwhore prostitute."

"Kath, what's wrong with you?" Pidge scoffed. "She's clearly going to end up being some chick he knocks up in high school who cheats on him, then become a crackwhore. Don't leave out import details."

"Stop it." Shiro snapped at them. "I don't care if you think Lance is going to end up in some shitty relationship, just be positive around him. And we already know if it's a shitty relationship, then it wasn't meant to be. But because we are his friends, if he ever does get in a shitty relationship we need to be there to support him."

"Sorry, Lance." Pidge apologized.

"Yeah, Shiro is right." Kathleen agreed.


	2. II

**age 13**

"Hey!" Kathleen yelled to Lance as she saw him speed walking down the halls when she was getting something from her locker. He ignored her and continued walking.

"Lance! What the hell?" She shouted even louder down the hall so that he turned to look at her.

"Huh, what? Sorry." He nervously said while fidgeting with his hands.

"What's wrong with you?" She looked him up and down and noticed that he was sweaty and shaking. "Are you sick or something?" She reached up to feel his forehead.

"Uh, yeah." He said, stepping away from her touch. "I'm sick, I should just call my mom and see if she can pick me up. Bye."

"Aww, your sick. You're sick on your thirteenth birthday!" She over exaggeratedly gasped.

"Yeah it's real sucky." He nervously laughed, avoiding eye contact. "Okay, I'm gonna go." He swiftly turned around and was unexpectedly met with Shiro's chest.

"Happy birthday! So... who's the lucky girl?" He asked Lance.

"I, um- I- I gotta go." He said before he took off running down the hall.

"Is he okay?" Shiro asked Kathleen.

"He said he was sick. Is that something that happens to someone when they get their tattoo? What happened to you when you got yours?" Kathleen asked.

"I was fine. I was a little confused, obviously I wanted to know more. But I never acted like that. And Hunk didn't act like that either, he was so happy." Shiro laughed at the memory of his friend gushing over some girl named Shay and him fantasizing about a girl named Allura who they didn't even know yet.

 

_**◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤** _

 

"Why?" Lance asked as he gently ran his fingers over his tattoo. "Why are you a boy?"

Keith Kogane.

"Who the hell are you?" He said as tears began spilling out if his eyes.

It was Kathleen's last name but she didn't have any brothers. Could it have been one of her cousins? Maybe it was just a coincidence.

 

_**◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤** _

 

"Dude, what was with you yesterday?" Shiro asked as Lance sat down at their lunch table.

"What's wrong with you right now? You're wearing a hoodie and it's mid June. You're boiling." Pidge said.

"I'm sorry, I just don't want you guys to see my tattoo. I want it to be a surprise for when I meet her." Lance lied.

Her.

"Okay, well, you can't wear this hoodie, you need to find another way to cover your tattoo." She stated.

"Here." Shiro handed him a sports armband. He slipped it on over his arm and took off his hoodie, revealing a sweat covered grey shirt underneath.

"Would you happen to have an extra shirt?" Pidge asked their friends. "Because that sweat is nasty."

"I got one." Kathleen said, pulling out a vintage looking Guns n Roses shirt and throwing it across the table, hitting Lance in the face.


	3. III

**age 13**

"Fuck." Kathleen nervously breathed out as she read the name that was scrawled across her wrist.

_Lance McClain._

There's other Lance McClain's out there in the world. It's not like Lance from school, one of her best friends, a guy who she is close to, a guy who she cares for and he cares for her back, is the guy on her wrist.

She went to her jewelry drawer and grabbed several bracelets and put them on so they were covering her tattoo, then proceeded to get dressed for school.

 

◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤

 

"Happy birthday!" Hunk shouted as he embraced her in a hug.

"I bought you a shitty donut from the cafeteria." Pidge said, handing Kathleen a gross pastry wrapped in a paper towel.

She gave it a disgusted look. "Thanks, I hate it." She said, causing all of them to laugh.

"So who's the lucky person?" Shiro asked.

"Not telling." Kathleen smirked as she held up her bracelet covered arm.

"Oh, come on!" Pidge groaned.

"Hey, shut it. You don't even have a tattoo." She said, nudging Pidge.

"Well if I did I would be concerned. Aromantic." Pidge said, gesturing to herself.


	4. IV

**age 14**

"Oh, sweetie! You look so cute!" Kathleen's mom gushed at her wearing a dress.

"Mom, I don't want to wear a dress to the spring dance." Kathleen complained, moving awkwardly because the dress was too tight.

"But, you look so cute in this dress, you're my baby girl. Is it the colour? Is that what you don't like? I could get another colour." Her mom went on about dresses.

"God dammit. Can't you see that your kid doesn't want to wear a dress!" Kathleen's grandma yelled at her mom.

Kathleen's mother was left aghast that she yelled at her like that.

"Come, sweetie, lets go look at some nice tuxedos." Kathleen's grandmother lead her away from her mother and the dresses.

 

_◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤_

 

"Thank you, grandma. Thanks for taking me tux shopping." Kathleen said to her grandmother.

"Oh, it was no problem, dear. I could tell your mom was making you uncomfortable. I've never been a huge fan of her, I don't know why my son married her."

"They're soulmates. They have each others names." Kathleen laughed.

"What does your tattoo say?" She asked Kathleen.

"Lance McClain." She sighed.

"You look disappointed. What's wrong?" Her grandmother asked.

"I know him, he's a really close friend of mine. He got his tattoo a couple months before me, but the day he got it he was really gloomy, and he's hiding it from us. He's probably ashamed that it's me." Kathleen wanted to cry at the fact that Lance was ashamed of her.

"Why don't you show him yours, then he will realize that it's nothing to be ashamed about. You are a beautiful, intelligent, and talented young person." Her grandmother told her.

"But if I do show him it could potentially ruin our friendship, maybe that's why he's hiding his tattoo." Kathleen thought out loud.

 

_◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤_

 

"Kath!" She heard as soon as she entered the banquet hall where the school was holding the spring dance.

She looked to where she heard her name being called from and saw her friends. She ran over and sat at the table with them.

"Damn, you look bangin' in that tux." Hunk told her.

"And you look quite handsome yourself." She complimented him. "And also you three look amazing too." She gestured to Pidge, Shiro, and Lance.


	5. V

**age 15**

"Hit me with another piece of paper and I will rip your balls off!" Kathleen turned and snapped at a boy sitting behind her in class, who was throwing wadded up pieces of paper at her.

"Kath," Pidge rested a hand on her friends shoulder. "Calm down, it's okay." Kathleen sighed and sat back down in her seat.

"Aww, is Wrathy-Kathy on her period?" One of the boys asked.

"Pidge I'm doing it." Kathleen said before standing up and getting ready to hit the guy.

"No!" Pidge said, grabbing her arm. "Remember what I told you. You need to find a way other than physically harming people to let out your anger."

Kathleen took deep breaths in order to calm herself down. "You okay now?" Pidge asked. The two of them tuning out the boys who were laughing at them.

"Class, settle down!" Their teacher yelled.

Everyone turned to look at the front of the classroom where the teacher stood, a girl with white hair standing next to him.

"Everyone, we have a new student joining our class today. This is Allura." The teacher introduced her. She hid her face but did a slight wave.

"You can go and sit next to Katie." He pointed to an empty seat next to Pidge.

Allura walked and sat down next to Pidge.

"Okay, so everyone today in business we are starting a new unit. Inventing and innovating. Now get into groups and you will need to invent a new toy for ages four to seven out of materials that I give you." The teacher explained. He walked around and handed out plastic straws, styrofoam plates, bowls, cups, and strips of tape.

"Pidge?" Kathleen looked to her friend, silently asking if she wanted to he her partner.

"Duh." Pidge scoffed.

"You're in our group too." Pidge told Allura.

Kathleen and Allura moved so they were all sitting around Pidge's desk.

Pidge was closely examining Allura. "Do you have a skin condition?" She asked Allura.

"Pidge, what the hell!" Kathleen yelled at her, thinking that it wasn't a socially polite thing to say, or that Allura would be offended.

"What?!"

"No, it's fine. I actually do have vitiligo." She moved her long white hair out of her face and exposed discoloured patches of skin on her cheekbones.

"Fuck off!" Kathleen yelled at the boys, who were now throwing rolled up balls of tape at her.

The teacher handed them a piece of paper to white their names down on when they were in groups.

"What's your name again?" Pidge asked.

"Allura. It's A-L-L-U-R-A." She spelled out for Pidge.

"Allura." Pidge muttered under her breath as she wrote out her name on the paper. "Allura?" She gave Kathleen a suspicious look.

"Allura?" Kathleen said in a questioning tone.

"It just sounds familiar. Doesn't it?" Pidge asked.

"I don't know man, let's just work on the shitty thing he told us to do." Kathleen shrugged.

"Kathleen and Katie can I please speak to you?" The teacher called them.

"Ugh." Kathleen groaned, rolling her eyes, but inevitably getting up and following Pidge to the teachers desk.

"I want you two to show Allura around the school because she is a new student. Are you okay with that." He asked them.

"Yeah, that's cool." Pidge agreed to do it. Kathleen gave him a thumbs up.

"Looks like you just got yourself a pair of new tour guides." Pidge jokingly hollered to Allura.

 

_**◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤** _

 

"Guys, guys, guys," Shiro yelled, running up to their lunch table.  "Okay so I ditched first period and I was hanging out in pet smart and they offered me a job there because of how often I go there and because of how good I am with the animals-- wait, who are you?" He asked, finally noticing Allura.

"This is Allura. She's new." Pidge said.

Shrio laughed. "I'm sorry. What's your name?"

"Allura." She spoke.

"Uh, how it is spelled?" He asked.

"A-L-L-U-R-A."

"And would your last name just, I don't know, happen to be Altea?" Her nervously asked her.

"Takashi?" She asked.

Both of them frantically rolled up their sleeves to show the other their tattoo.

"Oh my god." Allura cried out when she read her name scrawled out across Shiro's left arm."

"Wow, I'm so happy for you guys." Kathleen nervously laughed, thinking about how the boy sitting across from her was her soulmate and wondering if he would be mad that she hadn't told him. But I'm her defence he wasn't telling her anything either.


	6. VI

**age 16**

"Kill me!" Kathleen whined, hunched over a table in the cafeteria, sitting with Hunk and Allura studying for a test. "It's so early why do we have to be here?"

"It's only Eight in the morning." Allura told her. "It's not that bad."

"It's bad when you're on your period and you just want to go home and snuggle up in some comfy clothes and blankets, and watch Netflix, and drink hot chocolate." Kathleen said.

"Why don't you take birth control? It helps with PMS stuff." Allura asked her. "That's what I do."

"Will you come and get some with me at lunch?" Kathleen asked her.

"I have to meet with my history teacher at lunch. We can go after school." Allura suggested.

"Yeah, that works."

"Can I come with you guys?" Hunk added himself into the conversation. "Pidge and Shiro are working on some assignment. And Lance is most likely hooking up with some girl."

"Yeah, sure, always nice to have you around, dude." Kathleen said, lightly punching his arm.

"Why does he do that?" Allura scoffed, disgustedly.

"What?" Hunk was confused as to what Allura was talking about.

"Why does Lance go around hooking up with girls, he should know who his soulmate is, why doesn't he try to find her?" Allura ranted.

"Does it really matter what he does. I mean, what if his soulmate isn't ready to hook up with him or anything? What if he isn't even ready for that stuff with them?" Kathleen defended.

"I've heard that when your have sex with your soulmate it feels even better than when you have it with anyone else." Hunk said.

"I can confirm. That is one hundred percent true." Allura admitted. "I shouldn't be saying this but like, Shiro is so fucking hot. His hair is amazing, and his body is sexy as hell, and his di-" Kathleen slapped her hand over Allura's mouth.

"That is my friend since childhood you are talking about, I do not want to hear about his dick."

  
_**◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤** _

  
"Do you want to buy a bunch of junk food and hang out at my place?" Allura asked Kathleen and Hunk as she grabbed a box of cookies of the shelf.

"Hell yeah." Kathleen agreed.

"As long as I get to pick the movie." Hunk said.

Allura gave him a skeptical look. "Fine. I'm trusting you."

"Whoo!" Hunk cheered, turning around and walking backwards to face the two girls.

"Are we going to tell-"

"No." Kathleen cut Allura off.

"Oh, god! I'm so sorry!" Hunk shouted as he knocked a girl down to the floor because he wasn't watching where he was going.

"It's okay, I'm fine." She said.

Hunk held out his hand to help her up. "Oh my god." She whispered.

"What?" Hunk questioned.

"You're Hunk." She smiled. Hunk looked down at his hand that he was holding out for her and realized that her name was visible on his arm.

"Shay!" He shouted, helping her up and hugging her.

"You two have fun." Kathleen smirked and threw a pack of condoms at Hunk. "Remember what Allura said. It feels better with your soulmate."

The two girls ran off laughing, leaving the newfound soulmates flustered.


	7. VII

**age 17**

"Mom?" Kathleen stopped a conversation that was going on between the three adults in the room, her mom, her dad, and her grandmother.

"Yes, what is it?"

"Can I get my hair cut?" She asked her mom.

"How short? A trim? A bob cut? Shoulder length?" She asked.

"Uh, no. I want it short, like really short." She nervously told her mother. "Like this." She showed her mom a picture on her phone of a boy with short hair.

"Honey, this is a boy." She said as if Kathleen didn't already know that.

"Yeah." Kathleen nodded. "So can I get my hair cut?"

Her mother stuttered, trying to find the right words. "You- you will look like a boy. No, no way, I am not letting you cut your hair that short."

"Kath, come with me." Her grandmother stood up and started walking towards the door.

"What you're taking her to get her haircut?" Her mom asked. "This is like the tux, you just take her and she gets whatever she wants."

"Kath, go get into the car and start it." Her grandmother said, handing her the keys. Kathleen left with tears brimming her eyes.

"Let her be comfortable with herself. She is doing nothing wrong, she's just expressing who she is." Her grandmother said, before leaving the house and joining Kathleen in the car.

"Grandma."

"Yes, sweetie?"

"I'm a boy."

 

_**◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤** _

 

"Hello!" The two were greeted when they walked into the barber shop.

"Hello, my grandson would like to have his hair cut today." His grandma introduced him. He wanted to cry at the mention of the word grandson. Grandson.

"Alright, the barber at the very end of the row will be with you in a few minutes, he's just cleaning up." She said pointing to a man sweeping chopped off pieces of hair into a dustpan.

"Thank you." His grandmother said before they bother took seats in chairs, waiting for him to finish cleaning.

"Are you going to change your name? His grandmother asked.

"What?"

"Are you going to keep the name Kathleen?" She asked again.

"Oh, um, no." He nervously answers. "I mean I like the name Kathleen, I'm named after you. But also it's a girls name."

"Well, I'm named after my grandfather." She smiled at him.

"Your grandfathers name was Kathleen?" He asked, sounding confused.

She laughed at him. "No, no, no. His name was Keith. It sounds pretty damn similar to Kathleen to me. Plus we call you Kath most of the time."

"Keith." He said out loud.

"My grandson Keith." His grandma tested the name out for him to hear.

He smiled and nodded. "I love it."


	8. VIII

**Age 17**

"Guys I have something important to tell you" Keith started as his friends all sat around him in anticipation.

"What is it?" Shiro questioned.

"Are you okay?" Hunk asked.

"Are you in trouble kath?" Allura asked.

Keith zoned out and felt overwhelmed with all that was about to happen.

"Kathleen?" Lance said, bringing him back to reality.

He took a deep breath and started to speak.   
"I'm not Kathleen."

His friends all gave him a confused look.   
"I mean, I'm Kathleen. No. I'm not Kathleen. I'm still your friend, I'm still the same person, but- okay just let me start over."

"I'm a boy. And my name is not Kathleen, it is Keith." He said.

"Your name is Keith?" Lance asked. Keith proudly nodded. Lance stood up and stormed out of the house.

Shrio, Allura, Hunk, and Pidge all hugged Keith and reassured him that they didn't care who he was, he was their friend and they loved him.

"Hey, if Lance is a transphobic asshole that's his problem, not ours." Pidge shrugged. "Screw him."

_**◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤** _

Keith didn't bother looking at his phone that was ringing on the table next to him. He knew who was calling and he didn't want to answer.

"Are you going to get that?" Pidge asked, talking over the movie they were all watching.

"No, it's just Lance. Screw him."

_**◢♂◣◥♀◤ THIRTEEN ◢♂◣◥♀◤** _

Halfway through the movie they heard the doorbell ring.

"Pizza!" Pidge and Hunk cheered.

"I got it!" Keith said, running to the front door. He opened it and saw the worst person he could have possibly seen at this moment.

"Let me talk, please." Lance cried out.

"No, you transphobic dick." Keith scoffed.

"I'm not transphobic. I don't give a fuck that you're trans. It's just- it was your name that made me walk out." Lance told him.

"My name?" Keith asked.

Lance rolled up his sleeve to reveal Keith's name on his arm. "I had the biggest crush on you the year leading up to me getting my tattoo and I honestly thought you were my soulmate, and the day before my thirteenth birthday I was joking around saying that I was going to get a hot girls name but I just wanted your name. When I got a boys name I was terrified none of our friends who were boys had boys names so I thought there was something wrong with me, that's why I covered up my tattoo. Even after I got my tattoo I still felt like I loved you and I was so confused. And I was also scared because I knew it was someone with your last name, so I thought it was a brother or a cousin. But then you told us you were a boy, you told us your name was Keith and I just had to leave. I was thinking about how you were probably hurt because you knew I was your soulmate, but you also saw me try to hide my tattoo. And I'm so sorry, Keith. I didn't want to hurt you."

"I hid my tattoo because I saw you hiding yours and I thought you were ashamed of me, I thought that if I confronted you about it or showed you my tattoo I would ruin our friendship." Keith told him.

"I'm so sorry, Keith." Lance apologized, stepping in to hug him.

"It's okay, it's good now." Keith said, pulling Lance closer.

"I love you." Lance softly whispered.

"I know," Keith smiled. "I love you too."

"Uhh, Keith?" Lance said.

"Yeah?"

"We have an audience."

Keith turned around and saw their friends standing behind him and watching them. Pidge holding up her phone and recording everything.

"So are you guys going to kiss, or are you going to be boring and just hug it out and hold hands?" Pidge asked. The two boys looked down and saw that their fingers were intertwined with each other. They both blushed and smiled.

"Pidge, leave them, let them enjoy the moment." Allura nudged her.


	9. IX

**age 25**

"Who I was at thirteen was not me. When you got your marking you didn't know who I was. At thirteen everyone gets their tattoos, I hid mine because I knew it was you and I was scared it would ruin our friendship, and you hid yours because it was a boy name. When I was fifteen I stopped wearing any feminine clothes. I even wore a tux to our grade eight grad. When I turned seventeen I came out to my grandmother and cut my hair. My parents didn't get it at first but then they saw that I was finally happy and they were happy that I was finally being open with them and not closing myself off. After I came out to you guys I went on testosterone a year later. I chose the name Keith because it is a male version of my grandmother's name, who I am named after. I wanted to keep the name because she is the most important person in the world to me. Well, one of them. And I am glad to be here today getting married to the man I love the most. Love you, Lance."

"I didn't know we were doing speeches, I have no idea how to top that," Lance said, causing all of their friends to laugh. "I mean this wedding ceremony is just us and six of our friends in our backyard, can we just pretend I said something super sweet and sophisticated, or you know what, better yet, I can show you."

A slideshow popped up on a screen filled with pictures of Keith and Lance from their childhood up to their current age. Then a video came up with Lance talking about him growing up and having a crush on Keith and how surreal it is that he was finally getting to marry the love of his life, even though he was his soulmate. All their friends got teary-eyed at the alternate form of Lance's vows. Lance and Keith were full out sobbing into each other's arms.

"You may now kiss the groom." Coran officiated. Lance and Keith looked into each other's eyes and they both gleamed with happiness.

"I love you."

"I love you too."

They said, sealing their love with a kiss.


End file.
